Fury poundedin Alec’s heart. He’d been overcome with panic when he’d rounded a hedge to find his mother with Poppy. There was no telling what the malevolent woman had in mind for the young witchling.
“Come now, Alec,” Mother taunted. “It’s been so long. We shouldn’t quarrel.”
“Not long at all. We saw each other last night,” Alec reminded her, keeping his tone conversational with the inane hope that his mother wouldn’t realize that Poppy meant something to him.
“Yes, yes, as you were headed so quicklyhere.” Mother’s gaze flicked to Poppy. “Was that all for this little slip of a witch?”
So much for hoping his mother hadn’t seen through his nonchalance. Though how she’d found Poppy and put the pieces of that puzzle together so quickly was a mystery. “Miss Elstone has nothing to do with this,” Alec growled.
“Does she not?” Mother laughed. “Then pray tell me whathasspurred you here?”
A feminine gasp came from behind Alec. “Poppy?”
He glanced briefly over his shoulder to find Laurel, Lord Halwell and Rhys had all reached their spot in the gardens.
“Go somewhere safe, Laurel,” Poppy called, though she never let her gaze stray from the mad marchioness and her fiery ball.
Such a brave girl.
But this was his on-going battle, not hers.
“Poppy,” Alec said softly, “get behind me.”
Mother’s laugh echoed through the gardens. “Yes, dear,doget behind the impotent warlock for protection.” Then she focused solely on Alec. “You do realize that if I’d wanted to kill you last night, you wouldn’t be here this evening?”
He knew that very well. But like a cat with a mouse, she enjoyed the torture of it all, playing with her prey until it begged for death. “Why make it quick when you could, once again, destroy everything I care about?”
“Ah, so youdocare for this little Branwyck witch?” The flame in her hand burned even brighter, a sign of her growing confidence. “Mother’s intuition told me you did.”
“Put your flame away,” he told his mother once more.
A fiery flash in her eyes made it clear she had no intention of doing any such thing. With a flick of her fingers, she sent her fireball hurtling toward Poppy.
Fear seized Alec’s heart. He moved faster than he knew he was able, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He pushed Poppy behind him and prepared to be engulfed in flames.
But…
From somewhere behind Alec, another flame intercepted his mother’s fire and pushed the swirling blaze toward her. In an instant, she transformed into her falcon form and flew up and above them…somewhere.
While Poppy stared after his departing mother against the night sky, Alec turned his attention to the trio behind them. Rhys’ arm was outstretched, his hand spread wide, while an expression of shock was etched upon his face.
Rhys met his gaze. He’d saved Alec.
As inexplicable as it seemed, there wasn’t another explanation for the blaze that had intercepted their mother’s attack. Neither Laurel nor Lord Halwell were capable of such a feat. Still, Alec had never known his brother to come to his defense or to thwart Mother in even the slightest of ways. Certainly, nothing so bold or obvious as he’d just done.
A staggered breath hit Alec’s ears and he pulled his focus from his brother to Poppy who was still searching the night sky for the wicked Lady Ravensdale. She was gone, though. At least for now. As shocked as Alec and Rhys were, Mother would be even more so now that her favorite son had turned on her. She’d be smarting from that betrayal and licking her wounds in private for some time.
As Alec reached for Poppy’s hand, her magical touch washed over him when she met his gaze. Oh, it had been too long since he’d seen her, since he’d touched her. Her sigh echoed in his soul.
“Are you all right?” he asked softly.
She nodded slightly. “I think so. I didn’t know…”
There were probably any number of things she hadn’t known until now. That his mother was diabolical? That some witches could transform into animals? Or that Poppy meant something to him?
“When I heard about this ball,” he began, “I’d hoped you might be here.”
The moonlight reflected in her warm hazel eyes, twinkling just so as she gazed up at him. “I’d hoped the same.”
